Subway To Sally's 13th studio album “HEY!” will not be released until March 8, 2019, but Sailors onbroad Round 9 of 70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World's Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise will hear all twelve tracks from the album before the rest of the World!

We are proud to announce that once again we will be having a star-studded cast of musicians from around the Globe jam on board Round 9 of 70000TONS OF METAL!

Jamming In International Waters will take place on Super Metal Sunday, February 3rd, 2019, and will be hosted by Alexander Krull (of ATROCITY and LEAVES’ EYES) and Charlotte Wessels (of DELAIN). Heavy Metal History will be written once again on board The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise!

This fan favorite event will feature numerous Heavy Metal hit songs from several genres and is sure to be an event that any Sailor on board does NOT want to miss!

Due to unforeseeable delays in the studio, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE will not be ready to play their new album for you as planned. As a very special treat, those of you on board will witness the first live performance of unreleased tracks from FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE's upcoming album, only on board 70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World's Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise!

Sailors, we are proud to announce that we will host the exclusive World Live Premiere of Swiss Folk Metal sensation ELUVEITIE’s new album “Ategnatos” onbroad Round 9 of 70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World's Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise.

To celebrate the upcoming release of their full-length album, ELUVEITIE will perform songs from “Ategnatos” live for the first time ever. We are proud to also host an exclusive listening party so that our Sailors are the only ones who will hear the new album in its entirety before its official Worldwide release on April 5th, 2019.

I hope you had the time of your lives onbroad 70000TONS OF METAL 2019 - The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise!

Our duty to work tireless hours for the weeks leading up to the cruise is rewarded by watching you indulge in the live concerts, electric atmosphere and all of the other treats which made #70000TONS2019 the year’s biggest and best party.

Now it’s our turn to raise our glasses, and we toast YOU for joining us onbroad… we wish you safe travels, and hope to see you all back onbroad in 2020!

Just a few random notes. I'm sure we'll discuss much more as the post-cruise blues wear off.

Aside from a couple of sound issues here and there, things went very well. The rain delay was unfortunate on Day 2 but not much you can do about it. I was quite impressed that things finally started on time Day 1. Kudos to the 70K crew, you did a great job this year.

Can't say anything about the main merch area but I did get my festival shirt up on in the Solarium. Took a while for the line to move, though. The extra shop with the old 70K merch was a nice add in case anyone missed out on previous years.

The new additions to the ship were nice. I quite enjoyed the waterslides and the ramen at Izumi was excellent. Playmakers was my favorite bar and it was a much better spot than the Labyrinth for karaoke. The candy shop was an upgrade over the cupcakes, too. I loved the idea of the cupcakes but they really weren't all that good. Fancy dinner was tasty and fun as usual, but the Windjammer was pretty bad. Luckily, I only needed to go there once for dinner. The Royal Caribbean crew were great although we only got 1 towel animal the whole cruise.

All in all, this was a good cruise. The lineup was decent but nothing special. Hopefully I get some top level wishlist bands next time. I say every year that I'm not going to come back but who am I kidding? See you all in a year.

Not sure where this bit of news belongs, but it’s an awesome story that deserves to be told.

I was at Andy’s press conference at the end of the cruise and got to ask a question.

My question was this:

Given the challenging wind and weather conditions when we left Miami, how in the hell did you guys build the pool stage deck on time.

His answer was not what I expected. This is an not an exact quote, but it’s a summary of his answer.

We turned the ship around and sailed in the wrong direction for 3 hours. This allowed us to counter the winds and was done as much for the safety of the crew building the stage, as well as giving us the opportunity to get the stage ready on time.

This move was not without financial implications. Sailing in the wrong direction and then speeding up to make it to Labadee on time was expensive in terms of fuel consumption. These extra expenses will have to paid for by UMC, but it was worth it for the safety of the crew and to help start off the cruise running as smoothly as possible.

Thank you Andy for all that you do to make sure the cruise goes off as awesome as it always does.

Not sure where this bit of news belongs, but it’s an awesome story that deserves to be told.

I was at Andy’s press conference at the end of the cruise and got to ask a question.

My question was this:

Given the challenging wind and weather conditions when we left Miami, how in the hell did you guys build the pool stage deck on time.

His answer was not what I expected. This is an not an exact quote, but it’s a summary of his answer.

We turned the ship around and sailed in the wrong direction for 3 hours. This allowed us to counter the winds and was done as much for the safety of the crew building the stage, as well as giving us the opportunity to get the stage ready on time.

This move was not without financial implications. Sailing in the wrong direction and then speeding up to make it to Labadee on time was expensive in terms of fuel consumption. These extra expenses will have to paid for by UMC, but it was worth it for the safety of the crew and to help start off the cruise running as smoothly as possible.

Thank you Andy for all that you do to make sure the cruise goes off as awesome as it always does.

Wait a minute... You went to a press conference where you had an opportunity to ask Andy a question, and with all the conjecture regarding the lapse in band announcements, and the overall disdain for the timing of announcements, you asked him about the fucking wind?!
Well played man.

Had a great time once again. Getting on and off the boat was amazingly fast. Lineup was not good for us this year at all. Highlights were Obituary, Neo, Unleash the Archers, Night Demon, Accept. Think I saw some of you over the coarse of the trip. Didn't say Hi as I am not very active here.
Probably not doing next year for several reasons. Right after the holidays will be tough. We are doing MegaCruise in October. The whole announcement thing that happens pisses me off. I won't even think of booking until most of the lineup is announced. Which means I would have to buy on the secondary market. Might be back in 2021, who knows.

Not sure where this bit of news belongs, but it’s an awesome story that deserves to be told.

I was at Andy’s press conference at the end of the cruise and got to ask a question.

My question was this:

Given the challenging wind and weather conditions when we left Miami, how in the hell did you guys build the pool stage deck on time.

His answer was not what I expected. This is an not an exact quote, but it’s a summary of his answer.

We turned the ship around and sailed in the wrong direction for 3 hours. This allowed us to counter the winds and was done as much for the safety of the crew building the stage, as well as giving us the opportunity to get the stage ready on time.

This move was not without financial implications. Sailing in the wrong direction and then speeding up to make it to Labadee on time was expensive in terms of fuel consumption. These extra expenses will have to paid for by UMC, but it was worth it for the safety of the crew and to help start off the cruise running as smoothly as possible.

Thank you Andy for all that you do to make sure the cruise goes off as awesome as it always does.

Wait a minute... You went to a press conference where you had an opportunity to ask Andy a question, and with all the conjecture regarding the lapse in band announcements, and the overall disdain for the timing of announcements, you asked him about the fucking wind?!
Well played man.

Yea, I pitched him a softball question. I am not press and did not want to crash the party and be a dick. I was expecting a softball answer "Due to the hard work of my dedicated crew". I got so much more than I was expecting.

Also once on board, the announcement issues are quickly forgiven. Especially since the late announcements were pretty good choices in general, at least for me.

He has been asked about announcements in previous years, this was my 3rd year attending the last day press briefing. He acknowledges the issue, promises to do better, and then we have the same issues the following year. Maybe I would have been surprised by his answer if I would have asked, but I was more curious to hear the answer that I got.

Feel free to show up next year and ask him yourself. I don't want a mob to descend on the press conference and force them to start check credentials before letting people enter, but an extra 2 or 3 cruisers at this event would not be unwelcome, at least that is my impression.

Totally agree. I've met Andy on the boat several times. He's always willing to chat for a second and snap a picture or two. Very nice gentleman, and I wouldn't want to make things go sideways either. I actually asked him how many languages he is fluent in, so I understand not wanting to stir the hornet's nest when everyone is having a great time. I'm just razzing ya.

That is interesting they went in the opposite direction. I remember on Barge, we were anchored all day, and the tracking map at the guest reception area looked like a plate of spaghetti.

Thank You to Royal Caribbean International and the entire Crew of Independence of the Seas for having us onbroad!

Thank You to all companies who worked here with us: Mountain Productions, Eighth Day Sound, Jonas Productions, Cat Entertainment Systems, and Event Operations Group.

And a very special Thank You to all Volunteers of 70000TONS OF METAL 2019!

Last but not least, Thank You to all the Artists and their Crew for 121 fantastic live performances including Jamming In International Waters, the Clinics, holding all the Meet & Greets and Signing Sessions and participating in all the other Special Events!

Have a safe return home!

Survivors! I am looking forward to welcoming you back onbroad for Round 10 of 70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise sailing from Miami/Ft. Lauderdale to Cozumel, Mexico and back, January 7 – 11, 2020.

That's interesting about sailing backwards to build the stage. My question would be why does the ship need to go anywhere? Does anybody really care about the destination? Why not just sail out far enough until we no longer can see land, drop anchor, and turn the ship into a 4-day party barge? Save the fuel and reduce the effects of the wind.

That's interesting about sailing backwards to build the stage. My question would be why does the ship need to go anywhere? Does anybody really care about the destination? Why not just sail out far enough until we no longer can see land, drop anchor, and turn the ship into a 4-day party barge? Save the fuel and reduce the effects of the wind.

In order for a cruise to be considered international and not subject to US law, the ship must visit at least 1 foreign port. Going to the US and back would subject the ship 100% to all US labor and safety laws. RRC would never allow that.

That's interesting about sailing backwards to build the stage. My question would be why does the ship need to go anywhere? Does anybody really care about the destination? Why not just sail out far enough until we no longer can see land, drop anchor, and turn the ship into a 4-day party barge? Save the fuel and reduce the effects of the wind.

In order for a cruise to be considered international and not subject to US law, the ship must visit at least 1 foreign port. Going to the US and back would subject the ship 100% to all US labor and safety laws. RRC would never allow that.

Surprised they haven't just gone to their private island Coco Cay in the Bahamas. Would be a real short trip from Miami.

That's interesting about sailing backwards to build the stage. My question would be why does the ship need to go anywhere? Does anybody really care about the destination? Why not just sail out far enough until we no longer can see land, drop anchor, and turn the ship into a 4-day party barge? Save the fuel and reduce the effects of the wind.

In order for a cruise to be considered international and not subject to US law, the ship must visit at least 1 foreign port. Going to the US and back would subject the ship 100% to all US labor and safety laws. RRC would never allow that.

Ron, thanks for asking that, because it really explains why the next morning we were going so damn fast! I had never seen the ship go that fast, and I guess they were trying to make up for the time they went backwards. We were hauling ass on Friday morning!

That's interesting about sailing backwards to build the stage. My question would be why does the ship need to go anywhere? Does anybody really care about the destination? Why not just sail out far enough until we no longer can see land, drop anchor, and turn the ship into a 4-day party barge? Save the fuel and reduce the effects of the wind.

In order for a cruise to be considered international and not subject to US law, the ship must visit at least 1 foreign port. Going to the US and back would subject the ship 100% to all US labor and safety laws. RRC would never allow that.

Surprised they haven't just gone to their private island Coco Cay in the Bahamas. Would be a real short trip from Miami.

I was actually expecting CocoCay as our destination for 2020. It now has a dock and the water-park construction should be all finished by then. Also, the fact that it's so close would mean that they wouldn't have to worry as much about fuel surcharges if they turn the ship to avoid the winds. They could even have sailed "with the wind" during pool-deck shows to minimize the apparent winds across the deck.

As far as "Cruises To Nowhere," they are no longer allowed. By law, closed-loop cruises from a US homeport MUST touch at a foreign port unless a waiver is issued due to weather.

Probably not doing next year for several reasons. Right after the holidays will be tough. We are doing MegaCruise in October. The whole announcement thing that happens pisses me off. I won't even think of booking until most of the lineup is announced. Which means I would have to buy on the secondary market. Might be back in 2021, who knows.

I feel this pretty hard, adding a strong desire not to visit the states if I can avoid it. If none of you had guessed yet based on my post in the wishlist thread, I will probably skip out on next year.

Question about black survivors. Are they the only ones who would get that status or is it gonna be for anyone who reaches 10 cruises from now on?

It sounded like it was for 10 cruises, but I'm not sure if any of us know. I hope they do it again, those cards were sweet. All the Royal Caribbean crew loved them too.

I tried to look up standard SeaPass colors that Royal uses on CruiseCritic and became promptly confused. Royal places a LOT of emphasis on whether you're in a suite or not, and some ships issue black cards for suite guests.
Supposedly they do not change the colors of the SeaPass cards based on number of cruises (or number of nights, which is how their point system works), but my experience last year and this year says otherwise.

Question about black survivors. Are they the only ones who would get that status or is it gonna be for anyone who reaches 10 cruises from now on?

It sounded like it was for 10 cruises, but I'm not sure if any of us know. I hope they do it again, those cards were sweet. All the Royal Caribbean crew loved them too.

I tried to look up standard SeaPass colors that Royal uses on CruiseCritic and became promptly confused. Royal places a LOT of emphasis on whether you're in a suite or not, and some ships issue black cards for suite guests.
Supposedly they do not change the colors of the SeaPass cards based on number of cruises (or number of nights, which is how their point system works), but my experience last year and this year says otherwise.

Because this is a charter Andy, to some extent, gets to make up his own rules for that sort of thing.